HS Fine / Practical Arts Courses

The Southwest Colorado eSchool offers courses in English, math, science, social studies, world language, physical and health education, fine arts, computer science, and more. All courses are taught by highly qualified Colorado teachers, and the courses meet the Colorado Academic Standards, which include the Common Core Standards.

NOTE: The following courses meet the Fine/Practical Art graduation requirement.

Designed to parallel college-level Art History courses, AP Art History provides the opportunity for students to critically examine architecture, sculpture, painting, and other art forms within their historical and cultural contexts. In covering the art of several centuries (not necessarily in chronological order), students learn to identify different styles, techniques, and influences and to formulate and articulate their reactions to various kinds of artwork. This is an Advanced Placement course. more »

In AP Computer Science A, students learn the advanced Java programming skills needed in preparation for the AP Computer Science exam. Because the designated outcomes for the AP Computer Science exam change yearly, consult the AP web site for more information. Please note: The credit earned for this course will default to Fine/Practical Arts credit but can be changed to math credit if it is needed to satisfy the math graduation credit requirement.more »

Career Exploration courses help students identify and evaluate personal goals, priorities, aptitudes, and interests with the goal of helping them make informed decisions about their careers. The courses expose students to various sources of information on career and training options and may also assist them in developing job search and employability skills. more »

The Child Development/Parenting course provides students with knowledge about the physical, mental, emotional, and social growth and development of children from conception to adolescence. Course content typically includes topics such as prenatal and birth processes; responsibilities and difficulties of parenthood; fundamentals of children’s emotional and physical development; and the appropriate care of infants, toddlers, young children and school-aged children. Students interested in careers with children and/or psychology will find this class an excellent experience. more »

The Songwriting course prepares students to express themselves through creating music and is an introduction to basic songwriting. This course will use conventional and nonconventional notation and will include lyric and melody writing. Students will use online music software for creating their own songs. Professionally written songs and students’ songs will be analyzed in class. Modifications will be provided for students regardless of their musical skill or knowledge so that all have a successful experience. more »

This course introduces students to foundational programming concepts through the use of increasingly complex games and programs beginning with simple number guessing games and ending in the creation of student’s own “Atari-style” video games. Concepts include variables, decision structures, iterative structures, procedures, graphics, collision detection and object oriented programming concepts. The course is taught using an industry standard fourth generation programming language but teaches the conceptual skills necessary for students to progress to other languages. more »

In this class, students will explore the basics of digital photography and computer image manipulation. Camera mechanics, concepts of photography, composition, and the craftsmanship will be taught. Students will use the techniques learned in this class to create fine-art photography. The course will also include an integration of art history and art appreciation as it relates to the subject. Students must have access to a computer with a minimum of 512MB of RAM and a contemporary operating system; a digital camera with manual capabilities.

In this course, students will begin the study of nutrition by analyzing their own diets and eating patterns through the use of their family’s cupboards, meals, grocery stores and favorite restaurants. Students will explore their dietary needs using USADA’s recommendations. Topics discussed will be: the growing obesity epidemic in America and health risks associated with it, claims of popular fad diets, and eating disorders. Students will examine the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet and what it means to eat local, naturally produced foods. They will gain a basic understanding of the function of our digestive system and how and why it is important to one’s overall health. Finally, students will have the skills to decipher information provided and required on food labels and the knowledge of how to choose and safely prepare healthy meals while grocery shopping, eating out and cooking in their own homes. more »

Students in Life Management will demonstrate problem solving, communication skills, computation/estimation, career choice, paycheck management and decision making skills for living on their own. Students will apply knowledge to real world situations like managing resources and finances, paying bills, using credit, applying for loans, selecting apartments and cars, and balancing checkbooks to meet their short and long term goals. Becoming an effective consumer will be emphasized. In addition, topics covered may include investment planning, taxes, personal wellness, and time management. more »

After a brief look at Western Music History, including historical musical time periods, we will look at the development of American Music. This will include American Indian music, first American composers, development of bands, military and concert and big bands. It will also cover many different styles of music including American Folk Music, Country, Jazz and Rock. more »

Credit Students learn how to design, write, and test software using object-oriented software development environments. Students are introduced to the concept of humane game design and explore how computer programs and games can be used to communicate values, ideas, and thoughts. Students explore the idea of game and how this transfers to computers. Students learn how to convert their ideas into visual, audio, and story assets for their game software. Topics covered include fundamental design processes, use of variables in programming, program control and flow features, iterative statements, and incorporating files and graphics into software. more »

Web Page Design courses teach students how to design web sites by introducing them to and refining their knowledge of site planning, page layout, graphic design, and the use of markup languages—such as Extensible Hypertext Markup, JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, and Document Object Model—to develop and maintain a web page. These courses may also cover security and privacy issues, copyright infringement, trademarks, and other legal issues relating to the use of the Internet. Advanced topics may include the use of forms and scripts for database access, transfer methods, and networking fundamentals. more »

Students will continue building knowledge of HTML programming language and move to use of WYSIWYG programs. Java Script will be introduced to create mouse over and pop-up windows. Programming and usage forms and cascading style sheets will be introduced. Evaluation of web sites, ethical usage and copyright information will be discussed. Commercial graphic design software will be introduced to create graphics and animations. Flash, digital video and PDF will be included. more »